OJ Simpson was charged with murdering his ex-wife and her friend in 1994, sending shockwaves through the nation. To defend him he assembled what became known as his Dream Team of lawyers to defend him in court.
Johnnie Cochran was one of the most visible members of Simpson’s defense team, becoming most well-known for arguing in court that a glove belonging to the murderer did not fit Simpson’s hand.
Johnnie Cochran
Johnnie Cochran was an esteemed trial lawyer known for his successful and controversial defense of O.J Simpson, an ex-football player accused of killing his ex-wife and her friend in 1994. Cochran also distinguished himself through high-profile cases involving celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Tupac Shakur as well as cases involving police misconduct, in addition to publishing several books about his legal career.
Cochran was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, but relocated with his family to California at six. There he attended Los Angeles High School and University of California Los Angeles before graduating with an undergraduate degree in business administration from Loyola Law School and going on to join the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office’s Criminal Division as an attorney.
Cochran became Los Angeles’s first African American assistant district attorney in 1978. Since then, he has practiced privately focusing on police misconduct cases and civil rights concerns while representing notable clients such as Michael Jackson and Sean Combs.
Cochran attributed his mental health problems to being a celebrity lawyer, suffering insomnia and loss of appetite which lead to weight loss and substance abuse; eventually being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
As the Simpson trial progressed, Cochran became increasingly involved. He assembled what would come to be known as Simpson’s “Dream Team,” comprised of Robert Shapiro, F. Lee Bailey and Alan Dershowitz; two expert DNA analysts named Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck were also recruited – together these experts demonstrated how far-fetched was the prosecution case against Simpson.
Cochran kept his composure throughout the trial, maintaining that his client was innocent of murder charges. At times he even challenged the accuracy of evidence presented by the prosecution; its proceedings spanned 134 days and were broadcast live on Court TV as well as other cable and network news sources.
F. Lee Bailey
F. Lee Bailey has become one of the most visible and controversial lawyers in recent history, known for defending celebrities and other high-profile clients. While his style may be considered arrogant and egocentric, he is widely recognized for being an adept trial attorney who has successfully represented some of history’s most notorious criminals including Patty Hearst in her bank robbery case. Additionally, F. Lee Bailey has written seventeen books (although not all have been successful).
Atty. Thomas was one of the more recognized figures during the 134-day Simpson trial that was broadcast live on television, where he successfully obtained an acquittal for former National Football League star O.J. Simpson for murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
Prior to representing Simpson at trial, Bailey had successfully represented numerous high-profile clients. In 1971 he secured an acquittal for Army Capt. Ernest Medina charged in connection with Vietnam’s My Lai massacre due to prejudicial publicity which violated Medina’s rights.
In the Simpson case, Bailey claimed that police evidence was flawed and relied upon his “dream team” of attorneys to ensure a fair trial for himself and Simpson. Furthermore, he accused Los Angeles police detective Mark Fuhrman of using derogatory language against African-Americans at crime scenes as well as planting bloody gloves at them.
Throughout his lifetime, Bailey became involved in numerous legal controversies and was twice disbarred from practice. He faced other difficulties, such as jail terms for contempt of court or failure to pay taxes; furthermore he was accused of misappropriating client funds.
Lee Bailey was born and raised in Potrero Hill area of San Francisco. At Galileo High School he participated in football team. Later he enrolled at Harvard Law School but did not complete his undergraduate degree before serving in Air Force as lawyer and becoming prolific author and lecturer known for criminal law and civil rights works, his memoirs winning critical acclaim as bestselling authors.
Robert Shapiro
Robert Shapiro has made himself known in the legal field. As one of OJ Simpson’s defense team lawyers in Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman’s trial, Robert Shapiro became well known in Hollywood circles. Additionally, Robert’s legal expertise and entrepreneurial flair can be seen throughout his work which spans multiple industries and areas of law.
Born September 2, 1942 in Plainfield, New Jersey, Shapiro developed an early interest in academics and the law. He attended UCLA to study finance before earning his law degree at Loyola Law School. Subsequent to graduation he established himself as an attorney representing a variety of cases for both well-known clients with minor legal troubles as well as representing famous clients with legal matters that needed representation.
Shapiro gained notoriety as a celebrity defense attorney upon becoming part of OJ Simpson’s defense team, known as the Dream Team. At trial for charges alleging murder of ex-wife and her friend by OJ, Shapiro’s role was highly appreciated among defense attorneys defending OJ. The trial itself became one of the defining moments in American history and Shapiro was widely celebrated as part of that team of defense lawyers defending Simpson from these allegations.
Shapiro went on to defend numerous celebrities after the trial was complete and was featured as himself or a lawyer resembling him in various film adaptations of the murder case. Furthermore, in addition to legal practice he published multiple legal books and became an online entrepreneur.
Shapiro was an integral member of OJ Simpson’s defense team; however, not always on good terms with his colleagues. Johnnie Cochran wanted Shapiro to lead it; however, Shapiro declined because it would mean forgoing his experience and connections in Los Angeles; ultimately though, Simpson’s not guilty verdict sealed his reputation as an accomplished attorney.
Since the conclusion of the Simpson trial, Shapiro has pivoted his attention away from criminal defense and towards civil litigation. According to his website, he represents several high-profile companies such as Rockstar Energy and Diamond Resorts International as clients and has spoken at conferences and seminars about white-collar crime issues.
Gerald Uelmen
After retiring from professional football, Simpson remained financially independent through television and film acting and sportscasting work. Additionally, he worked in advertising appearing in commercials for Coca-Cola and Hertz rental cars; additionally he even appeared as an unwitting assistant detective on an episode of The Naked Gun TV series.
In 1994, Simpson was accused of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman – two high-profile members of her social circle he had once lived with – which resulted in one of the highest-profile trials ever held, with millions watching as both prosecution and defense lawyers battled it out in court to present their respective arguments.
At the time, many white Americans held strong convictions of OJ Simpson’s murders while most African-Americans supported his innocence. The case ignited national dialogue about race’s role in American justice and politics – reflecting itself through polls revealing whether Americans believed him guilty or innocent of his crimes.
Simpson employed an esteemed legal team known as the “Dream Team,” including Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro and Gerald Uelmen as members. These lawyers successfully created doubt in the prosecution’s case, leading to Simpson being exonerated in October 1995.
The trial took place in Los Angeles and spanned 134 days, airing live on Court TV and cable news networks with Judge Lance Ito presiding. There were concerns during this hearing that riots would break out throughout Los Angeles and the country should Simpson be found guilty of killings.
So security was tight and police officers were assigned 12-hour shifts in case violence broke out. Finally, a jury exonerated Simpson and widely applauded its verdict of not guilty of murders committed.
After his trial, Simpson moved on to acting and writing. He made appearances in films like The Klansman and The Naked Gun and was featured as a television commentator for Monday Night Football. Additionally, his memoir If I Did It speculates on how he may have carried out the murders. Currently living in Las Vegas and enjoying golf and social media use; with an estimated net worth of $3 Million as well as receiving an NFL pension of over $10,000 monthly pension benefits – Simpson now remains free from prison sentences and enjoys retirement pension benefits of over $10,000 per month from NFL pension and retirement benefits of over $10,000 per month from NFL pension payments alone!